“We opened the new facility at the end of March,” said Jamie Graiff, manager and co-owner with his brother, Dan Graiff, of Dan Graiff Farms LLC, in Newfield, NJ.

“It’s actually an expansion of our existing facility by 17,000-square-feet, giving us a total of about 50,000-square-feet of total space,” he added.

He explained that the new facility incorporates a state-of-the-art, fully automated packing line that was developed and built in Italy. While the line is used in Europe, Dan Graiff Farms is the first company to have one in the United States.

The company was started by Graiff’s father, Dan, in the 1950s. It has evolved over the years and it now produces rocket arugula, spring mix and baby spinach on about 250 acres.

“We are one of the only grower-shippers in the eastern part of the country who offer washed and bagged salads,” said Graiff. “About 95 percent of our customers are foodservice operators, but we also do some peeling for products that are produced by other growers that end up going to retailers. Many of our customers are high-end operations, but we sell across the board to companies of every size and description and our products go as far south as Miami, north into Canada and west to Chicago and Detroit.”

Starting from harvest, under the watchful eyes of the farm workers, the company’s baby greens are clipped above the ground by a special machine so there are no roots or sand in the product.

Workers wearing hairnets and gloves place the greens into plastic containers to reduce abrasion. Within 15 minutes of harvest, the greens are taken into a cold packing center where they go through a washing of cold sanitized water to remove the field heat. They are then packed in plastic bags and into boxes, remaining chilled throughout the entire process all the way to customer’s doors.

“We are very proud of our farming practices, and we’re especially proud to hold PrimusGFS certification, which is the highest audit attainable for food safety and traceability,” said Graiff.

The company is a strong supporter of the “Jersey Fresh” locally grown initiative, but because it’s a year-round supplier it also sources from farms in other growing regions during the seasons.

“We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to improve the farming process in any way possible,” said Graiff. “Chefs tell us they are proud to use our products, and that motivates us daily to do the best job possible.”